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<p>If your FAFSA EFC is $40,000, then Berkeley will not give you need-based financial aid grants, since your FAFSA EFC exceeds its in-state cost of attendance. Financial aid grants do not cover the $23,000 additional out-of-state tuition. Berkeley does not have much in the way of large purely merit-based scholarships; the most obvious on, the Drake scholarship, is for mechanical engineering majors only.</p>
<p>UCLA financial aid will be similar to Berkeley (i.e. you won’t get any). There are something like five large Stamps scholarships for out-of-state students (super-reach to get those). Georgia Tech’s out-of-state cost of attendance is about $44,000, so you would need to take a federal direct loan or contribute work earnings to top up your parents’ contribution. They also have some super-reach President’s scholarships. UIUC is about $50,000 out-of-state for engineering, so it would be a stretch to cover it with both direct loans and work earnings after your parents’ contribution. Large merit scholarships there do not seem to be mentioned.</p>
<p>Caltech is an outlier in your list, being a very small school with a strong emphasis on engineering and science. Other smaller schools focused on engineering and science include Harvey Mudd (also reach for everyone), Rose-Hulman, Stevens, CO Mines, NM Mines (safety, cheap), and SD Mines (safety, cheap), MO S&T.</p>
<p>Are all of the other schools on your list those which you would choose over UT Austin and Texas A&M?</p>